Yevgeny Malkin still wants to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins as soon as possible, his agent said Monday, even though Malkin's Russian team announced the star forward had renegotiated his contract and planned to stay out of the NHL for another season.

Oil, Coal Exports Increase The country increased exports of oil, and coal in the first half of the year as prices rose, the Federal Customs Service said. Exports of oil products rose 13 percent to 50.5 million tons in the first six months of the year, up from 44.85 million tons in the same period of 2005, the committee said on its web site Tuesday. Hard coal exports rose 14 percent to 42.98 million tons. Natural gas exports fell 0.7 percent to 95.5 billion cubic meters, grain exports declined 1.6 percent to 3.15 million tons and ferrous-ore exports dropped 7.4 percent to 23.59 million tons. (Bloomberg) Italy Urges Diversification Italy urged the European Union to diversify energy supplies after companies in Russia and Algeria, Europe's two biggest sources of natural gas, said they might cooperate in production and refining.

Latvia's sale of a 38.6 percent stake in its main oil export terminal, Ventspils, has attracted at least seven or eight foreign suitors, Latvia's economy minister, Aigars Stokenbergs, said Tuesday.

Lebanon has offered to deploy troops along the border, but Israel appears to doubt the Lebanese army's strength against Hezbollah.

The United States and South Korea will overhaul a military relationship that stretches back more than 50 years by giving Seoul the lead in wartime operations, a senior U.S. defense official said Monday.